


wander the twilight

by reshichu



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Hurricane Blossom, Inferno Phoenix, Twilight Tiger, Unicorn Blizzard, able to shift between animal/human forms blah blah, also the girls have human/animal forms, chikanan centered, duo/trio themes au, more tags to be added as i add more chapters, wow these unit names sure are absurd lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-01-25 03:20:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12521800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reshichu/pseuds/reshichu
Summary: a pair of tigers wander the world before them.to the younger one with orange fur, they wander aimlessly with no purpose but to live, but to the elder one with blue fur, they wander on a path to return peace and balance to their homes.and it all starts with a mark on the back of the younger tiger, in the shape of darkening sun.





	1. rise

**Author's Note:**

> well well... my first proper multichapter fic eh? never thought i'd make one of these honestly. anyways, i'll try to stick to a weekly update schedule, but don't rely on it, cause writing is hard and depression sucks.
> 
> hope you enjoy, and bother me on twitter (@arckachu) or tumblr (kana--mari) if i don't update.

As the light slowly inched across the forest, two girls arose from under the branches of an eons old tree, ready to wander the world once more. 

"The sun is starting to move, Chika-chi. We should set off soon too."

Transforming into two large tigers, they set out performing their daily routines.

Kanan, the eldest with fur of sea blue, took lead, climbing up the elder tree to scout out the surrounding area, and get a clue on where to go next. Chika, the youngest with fur of bright orange, stayed at the base of the elder tree, hunting small mice, birds, and whatever meat she could get her paws on.

Everyday, they wandered and wandered for as long as the sun burned bright, then seeked any shelter as the sun's rays vanished and the moonlight bathed the lands. They would hunt in the morning, noon and evening, shifting into their powerful tiger forms to easily take down prey. They would salvage what they didn't devour, and then they set off to wander once more.

Chika herself didn't know why they wandered. For the young tiger, that life was all that she had known. She had been raised by Kanan ever she was just a tiny cub, and followed her wherever she went. Sure, she was content with her life, but the truth made her curious. Maybe Kanan was on the run for something? She didn't know, nor did she pester Kanan with her curiosities.

"Are you done with hunting, Chika-chi?"

Kanan had finally come down from the tree, awaiting a meal. Chika led her to a small grove near the base of the tree, where two dead deers and several mice were placed in a messy and bloody pile. The girls went forward and had their breakfast for the day.

\--

"Where are we going today, Kanan?" Chika asked, staring at the path ahead.

"Today, we're going to visit an old friend of mine." Kanan said. "There's someone else here in this forest that can help me reach her."

"Reach her? Where does your friend live?"

"The sun."

"Wa-wait, the what?!? Kanan, we'll burn up and die if we ever stepped foot on the sun!"

"Just joking. But she does have a lot to do with the sun, astral movements and all that stuff. Goes over my head sometimes."

"Why are we going there?"

Kanan fell silent at the young tigers' question, stopping dead in her tracks. The younger tiger stopped as well, tilting her head in confusion. Kanan sure did weird things sometimes. Chika shifted into her tiger form, playfully pouncing on Kanan in an attempt to snap her out of her silence.

"Wh-! Hey, get off!" Kanan tried to push off the giant furry mass on top of her, but alas, Chika was too heavy for her human form, and was attacked by a wild flurry of licks and playful growls. Satisfied with Kanan's reactions, Chika hopped off and transformed back into her human form.

"You were acting all weird and stuff, Kanan, I had to snap you out of it somehow!"

"I guess that's fair. And I guess I do owe you an answer. We're just visiting her, see. Why, last time I saw her, you were only a baby, Chika-chi! Let's go now, shall we?"

"Alright!"

The two tigers plodded onwards, walking further and further into the thick forest.

_Not yet, Heir of Twilight... I can't tell you just yet._


	2. the aerie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Kanan and Chika venture onwards, they meet an old friend of Kanan's, and venture between the earth and skies to reach a being that observes the world.

The light of the forest slowly dwindled away as the two trekked deeper and deeper into the thick trees. As they went further, the roots grew bigger, the ground moist, and the air thick and musty. The trees became more twisted, wrapping around each other like large wildvines. Finally, it reached the point where no light penetrated the thick canopy of leaves above the two tigers, and they were now surrounded in complete darkness. To most other creatures, they would be hopelessly lost within the canopy, blinded by darkness. But to Kanan and Chika, the darkness made no difference. They saw every nook and cranny of the cave-like structure, and Kanan managed to scout out a path near the middle of the area.

"Yup, this should be it. Just follow the path and we'll be there soon." said Kanan, transforming into her tiger form. Chika followed suit, and the two tigers sprinted along the dead leaves and thick roots of the cave-like forest.

The bark and trees that made up the walls of the cave grew larger and larger, twisting into each other and forming arches as a ceiling. To Chika, it was as if she was running through the roots a large, hollowed out tree. The soil beneath her was soft, moist and loamy, just soft enough for both her and Kanan to leave deep footprints behind.

At the end of the path appeared a soft glow of yellow and green. As the tigers sprinted closer, they could see a large grassy area up ahead, lit up by thousands of millions of all manners of fireflies zooming amongst the open air, and glow worms scattered within the tall grass. Kanan sprinted faster, much too fast for Chika. She fell back and had to rely on Kanan's heavy footprints to track her down. Finally, she had managed to catch up to Kanan, transformed back into her human form and sitting near an incredibly large stump. Chika, now back in her human form, glanced at the stump. Whatever tree that used to be there, it surely must have been ancient. But judging from the shapes and markings upon the stump, it seems that it's now used as some sort of altar.

"Look around, Chika." said Kanan.

Like an obedient child, she looked. Upwards was a ceiling of nothing but bark that trailed downwards to the ground, creating a dome of bark around the large field. Fireflies flitted across her face as she observed the area more. The grass, the stumps of various shapes and sizes scattered everywhere, the moss that grew on the walls of bark and the glow worms that fed on the moss. Near the northern section of the wall was a gargantuan tree trunk, presumably from a former felled tree.

"We are in the domain of a powerful forest dryad, the inside of an ancient tree that has seen the world's birth. Be careful not to destroy anything here. She will suffer a large amount of pain if anything is to be purposefully destroyed, no matter how big or small." Kanan pointed towards the huge tree trunk. "Right there is where she lives. We won't be visiting that place this time. After all, she always knows if I'm here."

The markings on the stump before them suddenly glowed purple. Colourful petals began swirling around it, eventually dissipating and revealing a blonde and beautiful woman. Before Chika could greet her however, the woman immediately flung herself forwards towards Kanan, tackling her to the ground.

"Kanaaaaaaaaaan! Long time no see!" yelled the dryad, nuzzling into Kanan's neck. The older tiger attempted to push off the clingy dryad in vain. Eventually after much struggling, the dryad hopped off of the tiger and dusted herself off. She then turned her attention towards the younger tiger.

"Ah! You must be Chika!" The dryad walked forward and patted her head. "My, how you've grown. You were only a little baby when I last saw you and Kanan. Oh, I should probably introduce myself, I doubt you'd even remember me. I'm Mari!"

"N-nice to meet you, Mari..." Chika stammered as Mari petted her head more. She hoped to the heavens above that Mari wouldn't find out her sweet spot, right behind her ears. To her relief, Mari quickly retracted her hand and turned towards Kanan.

"So, what brings you two here?" Mari asked.

"We need a passage to the stars. To the phoenix's aerie."

"...So she's ready, huh?"

"Yes. But we have to hurry."

"Alright. I'll get onto it, just give me a moment."

Mari stepped back onto the stump altar, using her magic to make twigs rise from the markings and create an archway. Chika blinked once, and suddenly there was a stairway inside the arch, suspended in space and surrounded by twinkling stars.

"Here you are, Kanan. Straight to the aerie."

Kanan transformed into her tiger form, Chika doing the same. Before the duo passed through the arches, Mari knelt down, Kanan stepping forward and bopping her furry forehead against Mari's. A tiger's thanks.

The tigers finally passed through the archway, sprinting towards and up the staircase, into the starry skies.

"May you have the gods by your side, Heir of Twilight." whispered Mari, closing the archway.

-

At the end of the staircase was a dome made out of red branches and thick clouds, and a massive closed gate. The tigers transformed back into their human forms, and knocked upon the gate.

"Do you know where we are, Chika-chi?" asked Kanan.

Chika shook her head. Looking around, all she could see was a vast, starry expanse.

"The four layers of our world... the heavens, the skies, the earth, and the underworld, each seperated by a thin border. Currently, we are at the border between the heavens and the skies." said Kanan. "The stars below you, Chika-chi, they're the same stars that we look up towards down on the earth."

The gate before them suddenly opened wide, allowing the tigers access to the aerie. Within lay a clutter of large, foreign objects, and shelves upon shelves of nothing but books, scrolls and old artifacts. A nest of glowing red branches draped in scarlet and magenta blankets and filled with pillows was placed in the middle of the room, right in front of a messy and disorganized table, and a huge wall of fire. Red and yellow feathers were scattered absolutely everywhere.

"Welcome to the home that has housed every phoenix that this world has seen, Chika-chi. Here is where they read the stars and observe the earth below."

Chika stared at the place in amazement. Every single phoenix... the place must be brimming with all sorts of history! She started to wander around slowly, but was frozen solid by an ear piercing screech from above.

A huge phoenix landed in front of her, transforming into a beautiful human with long, flowing black hair. A second, smaller phoenix landed down beside her, transforming into a small girl with red hair in pigtails. The black haired girl locked eyes with Kanan, the both of them silently nodding. Then she turned her attention towards Chika.

"Welcome to the aerie. I am Dia Kurosawa, the current master and caretaker." Dia signaled towards the redhead. "That is Ruby, my sister. Neither the stars nor the First Phoenix have given her a purpose, but I believe that her purpose will be realized soon."

The two sisters bowed before Chika.

"We are humbled to have you here as a guest, Heir of Twilight."

Chika stared in confusion.

"Heir of... Twilight?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here's chapter two
> 
> gotta say, trying to keep up with a regular posting schedule is quite difficult aha...  
> anyways, go bother me on kana--mari on tumblr or @arckachu on twitter if i dont post the next chap within a week.


	3. revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After sixteen long years, Chika finally learns about her past.
> 
> And her destiny.

Chika cocked her head in confusion. Heir? She was just a simple tiger who wandered the world with her mentor.

Right?

"...That's right. You know nothing of your destiny." said Dia, beckoning her towards the table. "You play an important role in the balance of this world, Heir of Twilight. Listen closely."

The wall of fire in front of the table fiercely burned brighter, showing a symbol of a darkening sun.

"Once every 300 years, the Ancient Stargazer chooses a descendant of tigers to be her avatar. Once the chosen is sixteen years of age, they must stand upon a Twilight Altar in order to ascend into a Master of Twilight, whose purpose is to tend to the stars from below the skies, and to guide and watch over the Worshippers of the Stars. The one chosen is marked with this symbol. An Heir of Twilight."

"E-eh? But I don't see the mark anywhere on me... or at least anywhere I can see."

Chika felt a slight burning sensation near her right shoulder blade as Dia pointed at her.

"It's there, right on your back. You were chosen as the Heir of Twilight ever since the day you were born."

"I'm... the Heir..." Chika turned towards Kanan. "Kanan... did you know all this time?"

Kanan silently nodded.

"Why did you hide it from me? I've been chosen to be a demigod on earth... and I never even knew it."

"It's about time I told you the truth about your past, huh?"

"My past?"

"Yes. You and I were once part of a clan of tigers, Chika-chi. I was the grand-daughter of the chieftain, and your family were hunters. When you were born with the mark that sealed you as Heir of Twilight, darkness began to settle within the chieftain. From his youth until you were chosen, everyone had believed that he was going to be chosen as Heir of Twilight. But then you came."

The elder tiger began to stroke the place where Chika's mark was.

"He was jealous of this mark. That a newborn child was chosen instead of an experienced elder. He wanted you dead, but that'd mean the mark would've been passed on to someone else. There's only one way to usurp the title. Flay the Heir, and wear the skin on a Twilight Altar."

Chika reeled at Kanan's words. Her skin crawled, images of her own flesh being stripped right off of her body plaguing her mind.

"Chief approached your family and told them that he would raise you as an honorary royal, to guide and teach you to become a proper Heir. But I knew what he was really doing, keeping you for the slaughter . The day you were passed on from your family to him, I waited until night and ran away with you. I ran as far as I could, but eventually, I could run no more. I collapsed and passed out, and when I awoke, you and I were here in the aerie."

"Ruby found the both of you whilst she was relaying a message for me. You were barely alive when you were brought here, Chika." said Dia, handing Chika a small necklace of bright red feathers. "This is a charm I made to keep you warm when you were a baby. Take it."

"Ah... Thank you, Dia. B-but... why did you keep this all a secret from me, Kanan?" Chika questioned.

"Being the Heir... is a lot of responsibility. I wanted you to live a normal childhood, before the burden of an Heir is thrusted upon you."

Kanan stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Chika in a warm embrace.

"Keeping the secret was hard. I raised you like you were my own sister for sixteen years, and now... you have to bear a huge burden. Sorry for keeping this from you, Chika."

Chika hugged Kanan back, squeezing her tightly.

For sixteen years she had wandered with little purpose, and now she was told that the balance of the world lies within her. It was all too much to take in for the little tiger. But nevertheless, she swallowed the lump in her throat, and stepped back.

"I still don't understand why I was chosen to become the Heir, nor do I understand how important my role is... but this is my destiny. And I will accept it." declared Chika, turning towards Dia. "So, what needs to be done?"

A smile started to spread across Kanan's face.

_Chika, my sister... I'm so proud of you._

-

"This is it, men."

Far away, a group of tigers infiltrate an intricately built mausoleum, standing in front of a massive gate sealed with chains. A statue of a hooded girl was wrapped within the chains, bound against the gate as to act as a magical seal, preventing whatever was within from getting out.

The tigers all morphed back into their human forms, the oldest holding a pearly white horn with a broken base in his hand.

A unicorn's horn.

He walked towards the statue, and raised his arm up high, jabbing the base of the horn against the forehead of the statue, perfectly connecting with the broken nub that resided there. A bright light flashed as the two halves fused with each other.

Immediately, the chains began to rust and break, and the stone on the statue began to crumble and flake away. Freed from her stone prison, the horned girl collapsed to the ground, freed after hundreds of years of imprisonment. She quickly recovered, her eyes wandering to and fro across the room. Not even acknowledging the presence of the tigers, she immediately turned towards the closed door, using powerful and primal magic to blast a hole through the door. Within lay a horned, armoured warrior, sitting upon a stone throne, her sword and shield laying besides it. The magician ran towards the warrior, wildly shaking her body.

"Wake up... wake up, you fool! We've been freed!" she says, before using her magic to create a layer of frost around her helmet. Immediately, the warrior stood up, bashing her head against the throne to shake the layer of frost off.

"...Idiot." the magician says under her breath. "Anyways, grab your stuff. We have guests to thank."

The warrior took her sword and shield and followed the magician to greet the strangers that had set them free.

"You... have freed us from our five-hundred year imprisonment. For that, we are in your debt." The warrior's voice boomed within the mausoleum's walls.

"Ah... The Blizzard of the Unicorns..." The old man whispered in wonder. "We humbly request your help."

"Speak your terms."

"T-the Heir of Twilight... she's been kidnapped, missing for sixteen years. My own grand-daughter took her away from her family so she could usurp the Heir's powers. Please, help us brave warriors, bring the Heir back to her proper home."

The magician and warrior glanced at each other, and nodded in unison.

"We shall accept your plea."

And with that, the duo transformed into unicorns, the warrior into a snow white unicorn with a mane of ashen grey, and the magician into a nightly purple unicorn with a mane of dark blue, and sprinted onwards, using their magic to sense the presence of the Heir.

The elder tiger chuckled as the two unicorns ran into the horizon, out of their sight.

"And now, we wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took way too many all nighters to finish this chapter, im glad it's done.  
> as always, bother me on twitter/tumblr if i don't get the next chapter out by next week.
> 
> anyways. jimo ai :D


	4. taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst planning their next move, the Heir gets some unexpected visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the dumpster fire that is writing this whole chapter over the course of several all nighters
> 
> and also it's late :rubyCry:

Chika observed Ruby as she flew abuzz within the aerie, retrieving all sorts of old documents and maps from the neverending shelves and dropping them off at Dia's table. Both Dia and Kanan were discussing the next plan of action, diverting their attention between the maps and scrolls before them, and the wall of flame showing the locations of all the Twilight Altars intact.

"That chief of yours has destroyed quite a lot of the altars. What a pain." Dia grumbled as she marked off the defunct altars off of her records. "Conveniently, there's one within the First Blooming Tree, but it's hidden deep within the core of it, and I doubt you could even get there without dying, even with Mari's help."

Ruby dropped off the last of the documents Dia needed and turned back into her human form, plopping herself besides Chika. She gathered a bundle of the feathers that fell off of her when she flew around the aerie, giving them to Chika.

"Take these. If you ever need my help, strike a feather three times against the floor and I'll respond. Looking at big sis' findings, you'll be needing all of these."

Chika tilted her head in curiosity.

"What'd she find?"

Ruby simply pointed at the wall of fire.

A pair of horses galloping straight towards the First Blooming Tree was being showed. Each horse had a long horn protruding from their foreheads. An odd creature that Chika had never seen before.

"The last two unicorns on this earth. All but them were wiped out almost 200 years ago in a great war over some ancient, primal magic. Those two were sealed away all those years ago for finding out the secret to rebirth but... who unsealed them? For what purpose?"

"W-well... are they dangerous?"

"From all the old records before the wars, they're well natured and good people but... what business do they have at the First Blooming Tree?"

"H-huh?"

"The unicorns were roamers... they seek knowledge on magic in the pursuit of mastering the magic of the world. The First Blooming Tree was the first place they studied at for magic. They already learnt what they could from the tree..."

"Ruby." Dia called out, interrupting Ruby's train of thought. "Set up the signals. They're coming."

Ruby dashed to the shelves quickly, grabbing a yellow orb and hastily placing it upon a twist of tree branches near the side of Dia's table.

"Kanan, you go first. I have a bad feeling about Mari... and especially her newcomer. I heard she's just a young nymph of 13 years." Dia fits a heavy gauntlet against Kanan's right arm before letting her transform into her tiger form. Dia knelt down and bopped her forehead against Kanan's, and finally let her sprint out the aerie, and down towards the wooden cavern at the base of the First World Tree. 

"Before you go, Chika, I have one more thing to tell you." said Dia, halting Chika before she ran off to follow Kanan. "Once an Heir of Twilight ascends, the Heir can choose one person as their chosen loyal servant for as long as you live. A Servant of Twilight. Choose your servant wisely, Heir."

Chika transformed into her tiger form, nodding at Dia in acknowledgement of her information.

"Go now. Hopefully you two can find a Twilight Altar so you can ascend safely. May luck be on your side."

-

"Come on, Mari. Just tell us."

At the wooden cave of the First Blooming Tree, a heavily wounded Mari lay exhausted in the grass. The dark blue haired unicorn loomed over her, whilst the grey haired one restrained a small, sickly nymph in her arms, holding a knife to the girl's throat.

"L-let her go, Yoshiko... don't drag dear Hanamaru into whatever you're doing..." pleaded Mari, her voice being silenced by a foot pressing down on her chest. "You, Yoshiko... please..."

"We just need the location of the Heir, Mari..."

"F-for what reason?"

"That's a secret. Tell us, Mari. Where is the Heir?"

A deafening roar pierced the silence as Kanan pounced at Yoshiko, getting her away from Mari's injured body and pinning her to the ground with her large paws. Following behind Kanan, Chika dashed forward and leaped towards the unicorn with the small nymph in her arms. With perfect reflexes, You threw the nymph to the side, punching the side of Chika's head with enough force to wound the tiger and throw her to the ground. Seeing this at the corner of her eye, Kanan gave one last swipe of her claw at Yoshiko's face, and ran off to pounce towards You.

"Your theft of the Heir's proper home will not be forgiven, Chief's grand-daughter." You proclaims, before using her shield to bash the oncoming tiger, throwing her against her back. Before Kanan could recover from her fall, You pierced her chest with her sword, jabbing it deep within her flesh. A loud, pained roar echoed against the walls of the wooden cave, enough to shake the ceiling.

_Kanan... no... no!_

Chika panicked as You dug the sword deeper and deeper into Kanan, causing her even more pain. She slowly recovered from her own fall and attempted to attack You, only to be stopped by a blast of magic from Yoshiko that forcibly turned her back into her human form. Another blast of magic from Yoshiko froze her wrists together, effectively restraining her arms for the time being.

"We've got what we came for, You. Let's go." Yoshiko muttered, attempting to pick up Chika's body only to be met with attempts at scratching and biting. Using a final blast of painful magic, Yoshiko was able to tire out the younger tiger to where she couldn't struggle anymore.

You nodded. She cruelly twisted her blade whilst it was still embedded within Kanan before pulling it out, letting the elder tiger roar and writhe in pain. Wiping the blood off of her sword on the grass, You and Yoshiko left the cavern with their captive, leaving Kanan behind to bleed out, with Mari and the younger nymph being unable to help.

_Chika... Chika no... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..._

Kanan turned back into her human form, clutching the wound in the middle of her chest tightly, attempting to ignore the pain. She attempted to heave herself upwards, but the pain was much too intense, instead pathetically crawling towards Chika. Soon, the severity of her wounds began to take their toll, painting Kanan's world dark.


	5. alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> with an injured kanan unable to chase after her, chika suffers under the captivity of the two unicorns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big thanks to @LunarPierrot for beta reading

When Kanan awoke, she could only feel a dull pain in her chest. She was laying in a hammock hanging from the ceiling of the small room. A collection of wooden bowls, mortars and pestles and glass jars filled with strange herbs in fluids surrounded her. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Mari lying on a large bed, peacefully resting. Comfortably nestled within Mari's arms was the nymph Kanan saw hostaged during her fight.

A pang of pain coursed throughout Kanan's body as she tried to sit upright. She clutched at her chest, keeling over, disturbing the stitches that held her wound together. Before she could get out of the hammock, she felt a hand push her back down.

"No, no, stay down please. Your wounds need to heal."

Standing beside her was a human witch. She wore simple robes and had her burgundy hair tied up in a low ponytail.

"The Heir... C-Chika... I gotta save her..." Kanan arose again, growling and grunting in pain as she tried to get out of the hammock, only to fall out and collapse in pain. "A-agh... Where is she...?"

The witch reached down and gently pressed against her wound, her hand glowing pure green, temporarily soothing Kanan's pain. Kanan stumbled as the witch helped her stand up and lay back down on the hammock.

"Give your wound two more days to heal. That's as fast as I can work." says the witch, grabbing a bottle of unknown liquid from a shelf.

"Ngh... two days isn't enough... Chika will be killed by then... W-who even are you?"

"Riko Sakurauchi, the human caretaker of this blessed area's young nymph. Now please, save your energy and let me heal you. You'll die if you go searching for the Heir in your condition."

The witch pours a small drop of liquid into a cup of water, mixing it thoroughly. She gently pressed the cup against Kanan's lips and let her drink.

"I've been corresponding with Ruby. Dia is tracking the unicorns responsible for taking the Heir, and Ruby is willing to carry you all the way to their location. At the rate the unicorns are going, you'll have about a week to save her."

Kanan closes her eyes as the fatigue from her aching muscles set in. Only one week to save the child she had devoted her entire life to.

One week.

\--

"We will rest here."

The silver-haired warrior said as she dismounted the blue-maned unicorn, setting down the exhausted Heir against a tree. The magician transformed back into her human form, flopping down on the grass.

"That was almost 2 hours of galloping, You! Have some goddamn mercy!" she yelled.

"Shaddap, it shouldn't have been that difficult. You're only carrying two people, Yoshiko!" said You, stabbing her sword into the earth and letting it stick out. She shed off her armour and dumped it beside her sword.

"Yeah, one of whom is a moron lugging around an entire suit of armour!" Yoshiko retaliated, sitting up and rubbing her sore back. "Gods, whatever. You still have your pack, right?"

You reached under her breastplate, and pulled out a tiny brown bag with ancient markings sewn all over it. "Always close to me."

Yoshiko reached under her cloak and pulled out a similar bag. She opened it, just wide enough to stick her hand down within the hole, pulling out a muzzle from the infinite space within the bag. "Hurry up and get whatever you've been left with, we have an Heir to restrain. Who knows what she can do to us."

"She's pretty young, I wouldn't go that far, Yoshiko."

"Yeah, say that to me when there are no more unicorns left on this earth. We can't risk dying, idiot."

Sighing, You retrieved an iron rod with a steel collar attached to the end from her bag.

"Looks like this is all I have left."

"A collar and a muzzle... Is this a joke?"

"I dunno. Still, we'll work with what we've got."

The duo approached Chika, who was shaking and cowering in fear, almost on the verge of tears. She flinched as You clamped the cold collar around her neck. You yanked the rod upwards, forcing Chika to stand in front of Yoshiko, who then secures the muzzle over her mouth. You then pulled out a bundle of rope from her bag, and let Yohane dispel the ice around Chika's wrists before tying them together tightly. She cut off more rope and looped it through a hole at the base of the iron rod, which she then tied to a thick tree branch. The unicorns left her there, and walked toward a nearby stream to catch some fish and birds for a meal.

"Hmm... I sense that there's enough fish here to last a week for the both of us." Yoshiko said, using her magic to lift fish out of the water, throwing them in a small pot.

"Just the two of us? What about the kid?" You responded.

"She can last the week. Keep her frail, so we don't have to deal with any unwanted struggles."

"Isn't that a little too cruel?"

"Well, I just don't want either of us to die by anything caused by her. We're the last of our kind, You. We've got to be more careful."

Sighing in defeat, You let her partner be and continued hunting her own fill.

When the duo had hunted what they could, they returned to the bound Heir, preparing their meal for the night. Chika hungrily eyed the fish and birds that the two brought back. But alas, she was given nothing but scraps that she could hardly even eat due to the muzzle. She patiently waited as the two spent their afternoon rearranging their supplies, and when the sun finally set, the two tucking in for the cold night, did Chika let her tears flow freely. Being taken from the one that cared for her over the years, and then captured and restrained like a circus animal was too much for her. She wanted to run, to go back to Kanan, to snuggle up against each other comfortably when the nights were cold.

But now she was alone, with nobody to run to, and nobody to comfort her.

Chika laid down against the uncomfortable, damp ground, closing her eyes as the tears flowed harder. She heard light footsteps, and felt the fabric of a heavy blanket being pulled over her cold body. Someone laid down beside her, sharing the blanket and began petting her hair and wiping away her tears attempting to comfort her.

Even then, the touch felt too foreign, and Chika continued to weep until she eventually cried herself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops i accidentally took a whole month off.
> 
> yeah anyways. december's been an extremely rough month for me. i kinda had to take a break writing this cause of a whole slew of depression bullshit.
> 
> i'm back though. hopefully a new chapter will be out next week.
> 
> have a good new years everyone.


	6. pity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where one tiger falls, another rises

"Aaugh..."

A loud thump reverberated throughout the dense forest as Chika collapsed, unable to walk any further. No matter how much Yoshiko painfully yanked at her collar, Chika would not budge.

"Damn it. You, get her up." she ordered.

You knelt down besides Chika's limp and weak body and reached for the latch of her muzzle, completely ignoring Yoshiko's orders.

"No!" Yoshiko grabbed You's wrist and yanked it away from the latch. "You can't take this off! You can't take any of it off, she's dangerous!"

"In this state she wouldn't even be able to scratch my armor! She might hold enough power to destroy half the damn world if she pleases, but I doubt a tiger plucked away from her home as a baby knows a god damn thing about even exercising a drop of that power." You jerked her arm out of Yoshiko's grip, reaching for the muzzle once more.

"...Fine. Prove she isn't dangerous."

You shot a sharp glare at Yoshiko, then turned her attention back to the weak tiger. She successfully unclasped her muzzle and gently removed it. She then carried her towards a large, hollowed tree, where she lays down the weak tiger against a wall and covers her with a blanket.

"We rest here for a week." declared You. "Or at the least, until she fully recovers."

The unicorn checks on the tiger's condition one more time before stepping foot outside of the hollow, sword in hand.

"I'm going hunting. Don't you dare lay a finger on her."

As soon as You left her sight, Yoshiko immediately sprang up and roughly clamped Chika's muzzle back on. In her hurry, her hand slipped and the muzzle cut a fairly deep gash on Chika's right cheek. The tiger winced and tears started to form at the corner of her eyes.

"Ah, shit." Yoshiko's horn started to glow a light green. She pressed her horn against the bleeding wound. "Just... stay still."

In a matter of seconds, the gash was gone and all that was left is a barely noticeable scar on the tiger's cheek. Yoshiko then continued putting her muzzle back on, and when the final clasp was sealed, she burst into tears.

"K-Kanan... Kanan... H-help..." the young tiger let out in choked sobs.

"I... W-wait, no, stop crying."

Yoshiko reached out towards the tiger, her hand shaking as she lightly petted her hair. Chika lay still, her ears twitching and her body shaking in fear. Giving in to pity, Yoshiko pulled the tiger up in a soft embrace, letting her rest and weep against her chest. As she mindlessly pet the tiger, she saw a slight red glint out of the corner of her eye. Something was hidden in the tiger's waistcoat. Curious, she pulled it out, and was met with an artefact that even her own kind had once deemed rarer than the First Blooming Tree's fruit which only grew once every thousand years.

A Phoenix's feather.

\--

As Riko promised, Kanan's wounds had all but disappeared within the span of two days. Only a slight ache encompassed her body as she did basic tasks, but to Kanan, this was enough for her to take Chika back. With one final check-up from Riko, she was given the okay to leave, and headed towards the Aerie, where Ruby awaited her.

"We've got their exact location tracked down, it seems that they're camping for a while." says Dia, fiddling around with Kanan's new equipment. "I added some of my feathers to your cloak, it should give you some resistance to the magician's spells."

As Dia finished with strapping the gauntlet to her arm, Kanan leant forward and touched foreheads with Dia.

"Thank you."

"...Hmph. I'm just doing what I can to make sure the Heir is properly delivered to an altar. But you're welcome." Dia pressed her lips against Kanan's, delivering a chaste kiss to the tiger. "...Come back safe, ok?"

Chuckling, the tiger nodded, then mounted Ruby's feathery back.

"Ruby flies fast, so hang tight whenever you're going down. Neither of us want you falling or anything."

The two exchanged one last kiss, then, Ruby zoomed off below into the skies, her eye dead set on the unicorn's location.

_Good luck, Kanan._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO MONTHS LATE IM SO SORRY


End file.
